Music Makes the People Come Together

So you may not know it about me, but video games are but one of my twisted obsessions. The other big one is music--and I will always have a special spot in my heart reserved for the place where those two loves meet.

I wasn't the first kid in my school to have a Nintendo, by any means. That honor belonged to my friend Chris, who was kind enough to invite me to his house to play (at a time when everyone wanted to come to his house to play). We played the original Super Mario Bros. until all hours of the morning, and sure--the game was fun. I had a good time. But it was the music, written by the honorable Koji Kondo, that convinced me that I had to have one. That song is still with me, and considering how many cellphone ringtones it continues to grace today, I'm clearly not the only one.

When I first started playing games I had the musical joy of games like Super Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda, the Mega Man series, Ultima IV, Final Fantasy, and others like them. Those blips and bleeps would sing me to sleep at night. But as I matured, so did the gaming industry--and as technology and budgets both advanced, music started to become a more integral part of the game experience. When the days finally came that games were released on CD-ROM, and real honest-to-goodness CD music started getting bundled with the games we played, I fell in love with the soundtracks to two franchises: Mechwarrior 2 (and its follow-up, Mercenaries), and Warcraft II: The Tides of Darkness.

Blizzard has always held the music on their games to a high standard, but the Warcraft franchise specifically has excelled in every iteration. I loved those songs, especially the huge kettle drum rhythms playing behind a harpsichord melody--at one point (nerd confession inc.) I even wrote titles to the songs, because I decided that "Track 5" was not evocative enough. I don't have the Collector's Editions of WoW, or TBC, but in both cases I found someone who did so I could listen to the music. I bought the Collector's Edition of WotLK only because I wanted the soundtrack CD--even the adorable Frosty didn't matter to me. On the way home from the WotLK launch event, I popped that CD into my car stereo and I listened to it, beginning to end.

An Absurdly Biased Review

So after the leadup I just gave you, it shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone that I loved the Wrath Soundtrack. But it may come as a surprise to some of you that I didn't especially like the previous soundtrack entries.

The Original World of Warcraft Soundtrack was brilliantly written for the cinematics, and for the big introductions--the Stormwind City theme, for example, is an absolutely beautiful piece of work, as are the opening themes like Legacy and The Shaping of the World. Outside of those, though, you start getting into the ambient themes--the background music that's played in Dun Morogh, Elwynn Forest, Teldrassil, and such. Don't get me wrong--as ambient music to set the stage in game, these are great pieces. They provide just the right level of atmosphere without distracting from the actual game content. As standalone music, though, there's kind of nothing there. It just sort of takes up space--there isn't enough melodic content to hold your interest. As ambient music for the actual game experience, it makes for great support. For listening, it falls flat.

The soundtrack to The Burning Crusade suffered even more from this problem. The addition of the science-fiction style elements to the gameplay lent themselves to more of a futuristic sound, with more synthesizers and an airier, more discordant atmosphere. The result was once again, a soundtrack that lent itself beautifully to the purpose for which it was written--as a background to a game activity. But when you were listening to it on headphones, it was like listening to Reverse-New-Age music; it sat in the background where you could barely hear it, and instead of being relaxing and putting you to sleep, it just made you more on edge.

A Change of Pace

I haven't gotten far enough into Wrath of the Lich King yet to really say how well the music integrates with the actual content, but I can tell you that the Wrath soundtrack is a huge departure from this theme. The music in Wrath of the Lich King is grand and sweeping, full of lush string textures and angry horn blasts. Nearly every track stands on its own as a beautiful, melodically consistent piece of work. It references and builds upon the themes established in the earlier soundtracks without relying on them too heavily.

The scope of the soundtrack is much wider than it has ever been before. The previous WoW soundtracks have always focused on the darker aspects of the game--The music is built on militant rhythms and minor chords, even when the intended effect is one of mystery and beauty (like the Darnassus theme, or later the one for Silvermoon City). Wrath skillfully bucks this trend, most especially in songs like the Dalaran theme--which is hauntingly beautiful--or the later track Totems of the Grizzlemaw. After being so long immersed in the chaotic, war-torn feel of the game's earlier music, a tiny dose of simple, comforting music (skillfuly done here) is exceedingly emotionally rewarding.

I know, I know. I'm a fanboy. And maybe no one cares about the game's soundtrack but me. But I sincerely feel that Blizzard has outdone themselves on this one. What about you guys? Are there any other game music buffs out there?

Also stay tuned: With luck we should be able to review Echoes of War up here pretty soon!

Comments

Comment by ollan1

Comment by Fizzles

Loved some of the music from old WoW. I was re-installing WoW today and heard Legends for the first time in months. Really missed it.. way better than Burning Crusade into stuff.

Comment by Malgayne

on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:18:03 -0600

I actually listened to that track again when I was writing this article, from the music player on this page on the official site. It was just a wonderful trip back through the past, especially because I haven't been able to find my old copies of the CDs.

Comment by lostguide

on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:26:24 -0600

Tell that to John Lennon, Sid Vicious, and Jim Morrison

Comment by rzr82

on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:29:49 -0600

I immediately noticed the music when entering the Howling Fjords, and especially the music in Grizzly Hills struck me as something truly original and fitting. I have enjoyed this expansion's music way more than the tracks from the original game and the first expansion.

Comment by AlanDunnavant

on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:18:24 -0600

Without a doubt, the Legend of Zelda, and the Megan series (the original series) has the best in-game music. Period.

Comment by Fathios

on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:56:24 -0600

I love the Warcraft music. I am also quite a fan of the Starcraft music, especially the Terran theme...the dramatic "daa daa daa dum da daaaaaaa" one. I also love most of the Protoss music, while the metal-ish Zerg music effectively captures their nature.

Comment by Frostcat

on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:57:04 -0600

The in-game music of WoW is great, but I believe the in-game music of the Zelda series is even better.

Comment by Flaminturkey

on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:31:02 -0600

I've got to agree with your assessment of the soundtracks from BC and Classic - other than one or two pieces, it was all fitting for background music, but boring to listen to standalone. The WotLK soundtrack, however, fits both as background music and standalone for the most part. From everything I've seen and heard so far in Northrend (and admittedly it's only a small part thus far), the music and art direction are really quite fantastic and beautiful.

Comment by noctune

on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:38:23 -0600

Might I add that you're definitely not alone on caring about the game's soundtrack!

I consider he soundtrack of a game is one of the most important factors, specially in replay value.

You should play Final Fantasy Tactics, the sound work is unbelievably immersive and fits the game perfectly. A true masterpiece by Masaharu Iwata and Hitoshi Sakimoto.

And thanks for the link to the streaming player on worldofwarcraft.com, gotta love warcraft 2 intro music!

Comment by Skullcandy

on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:48:39 -0600

I really didn't like the Burning Crusade music. I liked Zangarmarsh for about five minutes. I tend to turn off sound and listen to music in the background.

I also liked old WoW content. Badlands was fun. I HATED city music. Terrible stuff.

Comment by Sinespe

on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 01:18:38 -0600

The first time I noticed the change of pace evident in the Wrath soundtrack was when I was in The Nexus. Holy hell, that's superb music. I'm not sure how it would hold up standalone, but it is utterly perfect for the setting.

Comment by awarewolf

on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 01:48:46 -0600

You should play Final Fantasy Tactics, the sound work is unbelievably immersive and fits the game perfectly. A true masterpiece by Masaharu Iwata and Hitoshi Sakimoto.

I second that notion. FFT had the best music, story, gameplay, and replay value of any game I've ever owned. That said, I absolutely love WOW's music.

I agree with most of what you said about Classic and BC. I've never listened to them outside of the game, though. I think each zone in BC got better and better with its music. Hellfire was meh... Zangar stirred some emotional reaction, Nagrand was flat out delightful and I really loved Blade's Edge. Around that time I hit 70 do I didnt really explore the others ever, hehe.

Music makes the game for me. I cant understand how some people listen to their own music and mute WOW.

Blasphemy. ;-)

Comment by psychosam666

on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 01:59:35 -0600

Didnt' want frosty? Trade me key codes! T_T! He's all I want!

Comment by paintballjohn101

on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 06:54:11 -0600

You are so right. Music dos make the people come together. I give you credit for bringing that subject up.%)

Comment by shatteringlast

on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 08:48:11 -0600

OMG i LOVE the MechWarrior 2 soundtrack!

Comment by Hirashara

on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:12:22 -0600

I'm going to have to THIRD that FFT notion. Best. Game. Ever.

But, on topic, the music that plays when you step on the Zeppelin from Org to the Borean Tundra just... made my skin crawl. It really made the entire experience feel so epic. Even though it was just another zeppelin ride, it was something totally different, and I think its the music that we have to thank for that!

Comment by lickitung

on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:44:51 -0600

Funny, I bought the CE mostly for the soundtrack too. =D

I loved vanilla WoW's soundtrack, still listen to it often. Wrath's, to my ears, sounds even better. I'm excited!

Comment by eXultanCe

on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:45:12 -0600

I think by far, the music from Zelda: Ocarina of Time, is the best.

Comment by Spur

on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:31:56 -0600

Yep, the WoW themes are really one of the best "epic" themes ever, indeed.But, if you're a real fan of soundtracks, get the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Soundtrack...it's one of the most beautiful pieces of music that I've ever heard! Specially the first song, entitled "Old Snake"...man, it's just awesome...